Ricky's New Perspective
by DragonChristian
Summary: Ricky had been on the run for over a year. He and his surrogate sister, Fara, have been avoiding the patrols for so long and now they were caught. Ricky promised himself that he would protect Fara no matter what and was determined to keep that promise, even if it meant that he would have to bring out the beast inside of him. Part of the Perspectiverse with KenitohMenara.
1. Chapter 1

**H** **ello readers! I would like to thank KenitohMenara for letting me write a new story for the Perspectiverse. I would also like to recommend that you read other New Perspective stories if you like what you see here.**

 **I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

Ricky opened his eyes slowly as he felt the sunlight behind his eyelids. He slowly rose from his place and looked around the dark cave for the other occupant, a Braixen named Fara. Sure enough, she was still asleep a few feet away from him on the green sleeping bag he insisted that she use. He smiled as he watched her sleep so peacefully, and the smile stayed as he started gently shaking her right shoulder.

"Fara, it's time to wake up. We need to eat our breakfast and get a move on." He said softly. The answer he received was her mumbling about wanting five more minutes. He chuckled and decided to let her have her five minutes while he got the Pecha berries out of his bag. He knew that they would have to get more supplies soon as they were almost out of food.

Ricky went back to where he slept and picked up two gloves with metallic protrusions over the knuckles and strapped them on his hands with leather straps. The noise finally roused Fara from her slumber as she sat up slowly and saw Ricky with the gloves. "What's wrong, Ricky? Why are you putting on your claws? Did you hear something?"

"There's nothing wrong. The Beast is not coming out right now." He said jokingly. He had made a name for himself across the region and the people and Pokemon started legends about him. They called him the Beast because he roared at anyone trespassing from a distance and left claw marks on stones and trees using the blades on his gloves, which acted as real claws. He also leaves a few traps around where he stays and trespassers think that hunters placed them to try and catch the Beast. He's been on the run for a while; so long that he lost count of the months before he met Fara.

Fara was abandoned by her trainer at the start of the revolution and left to wander. When she learned of what the other Pokemon were doing to the humans, she ran from cities and didn't want to be a part of it. She still respected the humans and was almost horrified at the infancy treatments the humans received. She was alone for 8 months after the war ended before stumbling into Ricky and learning that he was the Beast. She told him her story and he let her stay with him on the run. After two more months, they became as close as siblings and he promised to protect her no matter what.

Ricky wanted to be a researcher before the Revolution even started. His claws were even his first invention. He loved science and machines more than almost anything. He was an assistant to a scientist when the war started and he was told to flee. Ricky had to leave his scientist friend and partner Pokemon behind and he wonders where they are. Some solitude did not sit well with him, as he started to act like a feral animal, and truly becoming the Beast he was called. It was only when he met Fara and heard her story that he came back to his senses.

After breakfast was finished, they both started packing up to move to a new location. But something was eating into Ricky's thoughts about the time of year it was. "Fara, how long has it been since the war ended?" He asked. She looked back at him and looked straight into his blue eyes hiding behind his black hair.

"It's been about a year and three months." She answered. He nodded as he looked at a small brown box at the bottom of his bag before covering it with the supplies.

"Just two more months, then." He said softly. He proceeded to pick up the back and slung the single strap over his left shoulder. "Let's get going. We have to beat out the patrols before they get the guts to come here."

"Right." They both nodded and head out into the forest.

The trek through the forest was silent as they should not make any noise or be made known to the patrols. Ricky smirked as he saw traps he laid had been set off and tampered with, signaling that they had caught trespassers and they escaped during the night. A few hours later, they heard what sounded like footsteps and the two immediately picked up the pace to try escaping. The sounds kept getting louder and eventually they heard shouting around them. Ricky's hands balled into fists and the claws on his gloves sprang out and locked into place while Fara pulled out and lit her branch, both ready to fight. They hoped it wouldn't come to fighting, but would do what they could to get out of this.

They kept running before the fatigue caused them both to slow down and eventually stop, with Ricky falling to his knees. Ricky yelled at Fara to keep going but she refused to leave him. He tried yelling out again, but saw that the patrol closed in before he stood up and tried to stand in front of Fara. The fatigue and the pain of his travels finally caught up with him and he blacked out.

* * *

When he came to, he saw that he was in an unfamiliar room and he was alone. He tried to rise but he found that he was strapped to a bed. He looked at his hands and saw that his claws were gone. He started struggling and growling in anger and fear, his feral instincts returning. A door opened to reveal a Wigglytuff in nurse clothing entering. She gasped and tried to calm him down to no avail.

"Young man! Please, calm down! There's nothing to-"

"Where is she?!" He growled.

"Who are you talking about?" she gasped.

"My sister! Fara!" He roared. The door opened again and Fara came in with a worried look on her face.

"Ricky, it's okay! I'm fine!" She shouted. He didn't hear her words as he kept growling and roaring Fara's name. She eventually put a paw to his forehead and brushed some of the hair from his eyes. "Ricky! Look at me! I'm fine! Everything is alright." This time, she got through to him and he started to calm down. "Thank you. I'm still here with you."

He sighed and laid his head back down on the pillow before looking at the nurse. "I'm sorry for scaring you. Where are we?" he asked. The nurse smiled and nodded before going into explanation.

"This is the Icirrus city center. You can call me Wendy. The doctor has already examined you and said you should be good to go for adoption in a few days." She said. Ricky was almost impressed. He and Fara had been trying to get to a possible safe haven in Dragonspiral tower. Fara held his hand and glared at Wendy after the explanation.

"I won't go anywhere without him and I won't let him be turned into a baby. You might as well just put me up for adoption too, since Ricky is the only family I have." She said. Wendy looked at Fara in surprise and gasped.

"Miss, I have seen countless children who were happy with their new lives. While some of them have not gone through the regression, I have only seen positive reactions when they settle down with their families. As for you, you will have to take it up with the parents for them to adopt you. A representative from the HAA will be here in a little bit to talk to you about the adoption." Wendy explained calmly. Fara didn't say anything else but still held onto Ricky's hand. Wendy sighed before undoing the straps on Ricky and turning to the door. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to use the remote beside you to call for me or another nurse."

"Thank you, Wendy." Ricky replied. Wendy nodded before heading out and closing the door. Ricky heard Fara sniff and saw her crying. He gently squeezed her paw to comfort her. "Fara, like you said, everything will be alright. There's nothing to worry about. As long as we stay together, I swear that I won't let anything happen to us." She still had tears in her eyes as she nodded.

"You swear?" She held his hand tighter, looking for some kind of confirmation.

"I swear." He answered. She smiled as she wiped the tears off her face. All they could do now was wait for the HAA representative to come.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey. I would like to thank KenitohMenara again for letting me write this story. I do not own Pokémon. Enjoy.**

* * *

The next day, the representative for the HAA was supposed to come to Ricky and Fara at the center. Ricky was watching a movie about a Machoke and a Gothitelle helping two human children, who were actually aliens, return to their ship to head to their home planet to stop an invasion, all while avoiding the national government trying to capture the children and an alien assassin trying to kill them. He admitted that this was one of his favorite movies featuring the Boulder, or the Machoke actor. He heard the door open to reveal a Glaceon that seemed to be larger than normal. He thought about it and remembered Fara telling him about weird growth enhancers Pokémon had taken after the war.

"Hello. My name is Grace Frost, and I am the representative for the HAA. I know you might have some questions, so I will try to answer them as well as I can." The Glaceon said. She extended her paw to Ricky, who took it and shook it for the greeting.

"It's nice to meet you. One of the questions is about Fara, my sister." He said. Grace looked at him in confusion until she looked to Fara, who nodded. "Will she be able to stay with me if I go to a new family?"

"I don't think we get that question very often…" She said softly. "But to answer it, as long as the couple is okay with it, I don't think there should be any problem." She said. "Fara, do you know of any relations or family you might have?" Fara responded by shaking her head slightly.

"No. I never knew my parents and Ricky is the only one that is even close to being family. I don't go anywhere without him." Fara said. Grace nodded and used her tail to write some notes in a notebook she brought with her.

"Okay. I'll try my best to keep you two together. I just can't bear to separate you two." She said after putting the notebook aside. "Now for the question I know is on your mind. I have seen many children being happy in their new homes, whether they go through infant regression or not. Ricky, what are your thoughts on the treatment?"

"Ms. Frost-"

"Call me Grace, please." She interrupted him politely.

"Grace, I don't want to go through the regression. I don't want to be a defenseless infant that can't protect Fara. I promised her that I will always be there for her, no matter what." He said with determination in his tone.

"And I don't want Ricky to be treated with disrespect as an infant." Fara spoke up. "He's a teenager and is growing up. And I want to see him treated like a teenager." Ricky took Fara's paw when she started getting agitated again, soon calming her down again.

"Both of you have admirable reasons for Ricky to not go through with it, and I respect you for them. Any parent should be proud of you for those reasons, as well." Grace said. She spent about a half an hour more of talking with the two. She looked at the clock on the wall and sighed in disappointment.

She made another note and tore a piece of the paper off and handed it to Fara. "That's my number if you want to talk about anything. Keep it with you always. I'm sorry that I have to go so soon, but I could only find time for you guys during my break. I'll see you two again soon. Not every day someone gets to talk to a real Beast." She smirked and winked at Ricky before getting up and leaving. Fara started snickering before breaking out in laughter when she saw Ricky's face was turning red.

* * *

Two days later, two Pokémon walked into the building of the Icirrus branch of the HAA. The couple consisted of a male Zoroark in a black jacket, a grey shirt, and dark jeans, and a female Meowstic with a pink jacket, white shirt, and white shorts. The couple were known as Zack and Mary Vulpin. They had gotten a call yesterday from Grace that she had found a child for them to adopt. They both were overjoyed, but Zack was a little annoyed that Mary rushed to him at work instead of calling him.

Zack and Mary were together before the war. They lived with the same trainer before he released them when the war started. Zack was a strategist in the war while Mary was a nurse. They both settled down after the war and eventually signed up for the adoption list. Zack and Mary could not wait to become parents when they signed up and their minds were racing.

They walked into Grace's office with smiles as they saw their longtime friend again. They both knew her when she was an Eevee before the war and became fast friends. "Grace, it's good to see you." Said Zack.

"It's good to see you, too. I see that you are excited with the news I have for you." Grace replied.

"We are very excited. It's all we could think about since you called us." Mary said. "Is it really him? Is he the Beast?"

"The one and only. His real name is Ricky. His eyes practically howled that he was a wild one, like he was born in the wilderness and lived there all his life. Here's his file and some pictures of him." Grace said. She placed a few pictures and a file on the desk for the couple to look at.

One picture showed a teenage boy with gleaming sky blue eyes, pale skin, wavy black hair that partially covered one of his eyes, wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans, and, strangely, a Braixen, wearing a white shirt and tattered jeans, standing next to him. The file said that he was thirteen years and ten months old. He was cautious, as the file said that his eyes kept shifting to different parts of the room, and can get very aggressive, saying that he was howling and thrashing around in his bed when he first woke up and wouldn't calm down until the Braixen entered the room and he calmed down nearly instantly. There was another photo, depicting metal and leather gloves with four blades sticking out on top like claws, with notes saying that he was fascinated with technology and science and that he created the claws himself. He also appears to be respectful to the nurses and doctors and was very polite. The file also said that he would not go anywhere without his "sister" Fara, who is identified to be the Braixen standing in the photo.

While Fara confused them and the claws frightened them a little, what caught their attention was what both the boy and the Braixen thought about the infancy treatment. "Oh this is just perfect! He's the one!" Mary said excitedly. She was elated at the behavior he has shown to the nurses and the loyalty to his surrogate sister. Zack nodded in agreement.

"I can't wait to meet them." He said. He liked the wild look in the boy's eyes. It was a look that said he wouldn't go down without a fight. And he was also slightly impressed that he had made those claws himself, thinking that maybe he could see how the boy would do against Zack's Shadow Claws.

"I thought he might be the one for you. Now, we need to talk about Fara." Grace said. "Ricky and Fara refuse to leave each other and were adamant about her staying with him. I just need your opinion on the matter."

"Oh, it's not a problem at all! If she wants to stay with him, we'll not mind one bit!" Mary replied. Grace giggled as she brought out the adoption papers for both Ricky and Fara, which were both signed with the names of the new parents.

"Okay, everything is all set. What do you say we go see Ricky and Fara, huh?" Grace suggested. Both parents nodded as they headed out of the HAA building.

Two hours later, Ricky and Fara were sitting on a bench waiting for their parents. Ricky finally got his claws back and had them strapped to his hands again. Turns out that the center had them the whole time and he couldn't get them back until he could leave. He couldn't stop tapping his foot in his anxiety. He could feel Fara's paw holding his hand tightly. He didn't know what his new parents would do with him or with Fara. At least the doctors, nurses, and Grace treated him and Fara with respect and gave them privacy when they needed it. He had to hold Fara back when she got mad at a visiting Pokémon treating Ricky like a child. Fara had to do the same to him when a rebellious human started challenging him and insulting him and Fara in anger, though Ricky restrained himself a bit more whereas Fara almost pounced on the Pokémon almost immediately.

The two heard the doors open and they saw Grace followed by a Zoroark and a female Meowstic. Fara started to get tense and Ricky had to squeeze her paw softly to calm her. Grace introduced them as Zack and Mary Vulpin before leaving the new family to get acquainted. Zack and Mary took a seat, one on each side of the siblings, on the bench. "So…" Zack spoke up. "You are the infamous Beast and his sister?"

"Yes, sir." Ricky said with a nod.

"Now don't call me sir. I won't have any of that. You don't have to call us 'mom' or 'dad,' but we would like it if you would." Zack said with a smirk.

"Okay." Ricky said.

"We both want you to be happy with us. We know it might take a while for you to get used to this, to us, but we hope that you two can come to trust us." Mary said. Ricky and Fara both looked at each other, then at their new parents and nodded. After an unexpected hug from Mary, they all went outside to where the car was parked.

* * *

The ride home to Nimbasa city was uneventful and silent the whole way, with the exception of the music on the car radio. It was getting dark when they came to the house they would live in. Zack and Mary led them inside and into a hall that made both teens drop their jaws in shock when they opened one of the doors. Inside was a room that not only looked like a room for a teenager, but was stocked with some of the things a teenager would love. There was a big bed with a huge flat screen television mounted on the wall across the room; a game console was on top of a clothes drawer and connected to the television. They also saw a desk with a brand new laptop sitting on top of it. Ricky looked in the drawer and was surprised that it was devoid of any clothes.

"Surprised?" Zack suddenly asked. Ricky and Fara could only nod. "Mary and I know that you don't want to do the infancy treatment. We don't want you to do it either. We already know what it's like to raise an infant, but we have always wanted to care for a teenager. We want to see you grow and mature and live your life as you are meant to live it."

"And we want to be with you every step of the way, as a family." Mary added. "We might have to leave you at a daycare, but they have an area where they would treat you like a normal teenager and hang out with humans and Pokémon." She explained when she saw them getting agitated.

"We were also thinking that we could take you out sometimes to get some fresh air, meet some friends of ours and their kids, and hang out with each other as a family." Zack said. Ricky and Fara were alright with going out sometimes.

"We won't make you wear baby clothes; you can even pick out what you want to wear within reason, meaning nothing inappropriate. We didn't know what you would like, so we will have to go shopping for clothes for both of you tomorrow." Mary explained. Ricky and Fara looked down at themselves and remembered that they only had a few sets of clothes they wore when they lived alone. "Fara, we have a guest room for you that you could use until we get some more furniture and make it your room."

"No, I'll stay with Ricky. We've slept together for a while and we don't mind." Both Zack's and Mary's eyes widened before Ricky waved his hands in front of him in a panic.

"It's not what you think! She meant that we slept near each other. Nothing else. I swear." He explained. Zack and Mary sighed with relief before Mary looked at her watch.

"Okay, I think we have stayed up long enough. Now's the time to get some sleep. I don't want you two staying up past eleven o'clock, alright?" She said jokingly. Both Fara and Ricky nodded, both feeling tired after the events of the past few days.

"Got it… Mom." Ricky said softly. Mary slightly gasped and started tearing up before pulling Fara and Ricky into a tight hug, with Ricky having to bend down a little as he was a bit taller than her.

"Welcome home." She whispered. Zack smiled softly as he saw the two teens return the hug. After it ended, Zack came up and ruffled Ricky's hair.

"See you in the morning." He said.

"You too, Pops." Ricky replied. Zack couldn't help but chuckle as he lightly hugged Fara and said good night to her. After the parents left, the siblings played a game of rock, paper, scissors for who sleeps on the bed and who sleeps on the floor in the sleeping bag. Ricky won and Fara reluctantly slunk into the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, welcome back to Ricky's New Perspective. Once again, thanks to KenitohMenara for letting me write this story. If you have not read other stories of the New Perspective universe, like Rosa's New Perspective, I recommend that you read them.**

* * *

 _Running. He was just running from something. He didn't know what he was running from, but he was afraid and running anyway. He weaved through the trees in a forest as he ran. He didn't hear anything except his own footsteps and heavy breathing. He eventually stopped and looked around to find that he was all alone. He stayed still for a few minutes when he heard something. "Rrrrr… Who's there?!" He growled. Everything was still silent for a few moments until he heard something in the darkness but still saw nothing._

 _"… ster…" He heard a whisper. There was no voice and was very difficult to hear. He strained his ears to hear it more. "...nster… you're… monster… you're a monster…" Anger filled his entire mind almost immediately as he heard it being said again and again._

 _"I'm no monster! Show yourself!" He shouted into the darkness, opening his claws. He slashed at the air behind him when he heard the same whisper in his ear. The whisper was heard in all directions around him and he heard it clearly. He kept hearing the same whisper over and over again as everything started to fade to darkness._

Ricky awoke from his dream to an unfamiliar smell in the morning. He smelled something sweet and felt his stomach growling in hunger. He couldn't take it anymore as he finally picked himself off the floor. He realized that he had crawled out of the sleeping bag and curled up on the carpet. He stopped all at once when he saw scratch marks in the white paint of the wall he slept next to. Those marks were definitely not there when he went to sleep the night before. He looked at his hands and then at the nightstand to see his claws sitting on the wooden furniture. He figured he must have scratched the wall with his fingers, but there wasn't any white dust on his fingers. He decided to think about it later when his stomach growled again.

He realized that Fara was already gone from the room and he assumed she was in the kitchen. He had already forgotten the way to the kitchen so he followed the scent and eventually discovered it to be Mary cooking pancakes. She added two more cakes to a stack and looked back and saw Ricky behind her and smiled.

"Good morning Ricky!" she said excitedly.

"Good morning Mom. What's all this?" He asked.

"Well since this is our first morning as a family, I thought I would make some breakfast before we went shopping for clothes. Do you like pancakes or should I make something else?" she asked, already looking nervous. Ricky shook his head when he noticed her anxiety.

"Don't worry about it. I love pancakes." He said. She immediately brightened up and handed him a plate of pancakes and pointed to a table in the room where Fara was already eating. He sat at the table and took a bite before eating them like he hadn't eaten in days. "Mom, these are amazing!"

"Thank you, Ricky! I always love to cook." Mary replied happily. A few minutes later, Zack finally came in and grabbed some breakfast and sat down at the table followed by Mary.

"Okay, we need to discuss something before going shopping." Zack suddenly said. All eyes were turned to him before he started speaking again. "We won't be able to get many clothes for right now since there's two of you, but we may be able to get a few outfits for each of you." Ricky and Fara nodded in understanding, as it seemed reasonable. "When we get our next paychecks, we'll be able to get you more clothes. I'll take Ricky to get some clothes and Mary will take Fara. Now, here's a little proposition…" Ricky and Fara both looked at him in confusion while he smirked. "If you let us pick out one outfit for you to wear, you may get one extra thing from the mall, within reason. If Mary picks out something for Fara, she may get something she wants. Same thing with me and Ricky. Do we have a deal?" He finished.

Both siblings looked at each other nervously as they started whispering to each other which neither parent could hear, Ricky whispering a little more aggressively. They soon stopped and nodded and turned back to Zack. "We have a deal." Fara said.

"Great." Zack sighed in relief. "And we keep the outfits we pick a secret from the other group until we get home. That way we can make it a surprise." Everyone nodded in agreement as they finished their breakfast. After a few minutes of getting ready, they were about to walk out the door when Zack stopped Ricky.

"Leave the claws." He said. Ricky was about to protest when Zack started listing reasons why he couldn't bring the claws. "You can't take them to the mall. You can't bring any weapons to a public place or you could get in trouble. It's the same for anyone." He realized that Zack was right so he reluctantly went back to his room and left the claws on his bed. As they left, Ricky's hands felt empty without the feeling of the gloves.

* * *

The family entered the mall to see that it was mostly empty with a few Pokémon and their children wandering around the stores. The family decided that they would meet up at the food court later for lunch and head home after before they went their separate ways.

Zack led the way for Ricky as they entered a store with what looked like graphic t-shirts and jeans and playing rock music on the speakers. Ricky was amazed as he saw all the designs and colors of the shirts. He felt a tap on his shoulder and saw his father holding some clothes in his arms and grinning. They went over to the changing rooms and Ricky took the clothes in with him. When he came out, he was impressed with the choice. He was wearing a plain grey t-shirt with a black denim jacket, black leather fingerless gloves, grey jeans, and grey and black tennis shoes with specks of red. Ricky couldn't hide his grin and showed fanged canine teeth.

"This is great, Dad." He said. Zack chuckled at his son's expression.

"I thought you might like it. And you look absolutely fierce. You just needed to trust me. A deal's a deal, son. You can take your pick of something from the stores. But let's get some more clothes first." He said as he ruffled Ricky's hair.

"Sure, but do you think you could help me pick out some clothes?" Ricky asked. Now Zack couldn't stop smiling. They picked out a few more graphic shirts, pants, and another pair of shoes and took them to the Raichu clerk.

"Are you sure you want to buy these kinds of clothes for this little one? They look a little too dark for a child like him." The Raichu asked, unaware of Ricky's scowl. "I could show you some more appropriate clothes for him." He pointed to another part of the store before Zack stopped him from saying the selections in that part.

"My son is not a child; he is a teenager. These are appropriate clothes for him. I helped him pick his clothes and I am okay with them." Zack said plainly.

"Very well, sir. On a second look, your son may be able to pull off that look. Especially the jacket. Nobody's wanted that jacket for a while." The Raichu said as he started scanning the tags. "Is there anything else, sir?"

"Ricky?" Zack looked at his son for his answer.

"Yeah, that's it, Pops. Thanks." He said.

At the other side of the store, Fara stepped out of her changing room with Mary's chosen outfit, which was a simple one. It was a white shirt with a yellow skirt that went down to her knees. She was wearing a necklace with a red flame pattern. Fara overall loved the outfit, but was a bit reluctant to come out of the room. "Well? What do you think, Fara?" Mary asked, waiting for her daughter's answer.

"I… I like it. Thank you, Mom." Fara answered softly. She wasn't always open to trying new clothes, much less a skirt, but she genuinely liked the outfit.

"I'm glad you like it, sweetheart. But why are you blushing? You look great; there's nothing to be embarrassed about!"

"I know… You really think I look good?" Fara asked as she looked at herself in the mirror. Mary approached her and grabbed both of her paws and looked her in the eyes.

"I do. I mean it. You look beautiful." Fara couldn't stop a tear from falling down her face as she embraced her mother. "I fear for the boy you bring home that has to face both your father and your brother." Mary joked. Fara giggled as she went back inside to change and find more clothes.

Back with the guys, Zack and Ricky had finished getting clothes and were wandering the mall for the extra item. Ricky had already changed into the worn out clothes he was wearing for the surprise. They had passed a place that sold guitars, as Zack said that they didn't need to go there for right now, though he never gave a reason why. It was not until Ricky saw a sign in front of one store did he find something. "Dad, I actually have an idea. What do you think of this?"

Zack looked at the sign and then at Ricky with confusion until Ricky whispered in his ear. Zack contemplated the idea again before nodding. They entered the store and an hour later came out with Ricky having part of his black hair dyed red at the tips in the front and the back. Ricky got a few compliments from various Pokémon and humans after leaving the store. "Well, I don't know what the girls are going to think when they see you. Your mom is probably going to get on to me for letting this happen, but it's worth it." Zack said.

"Who knows? They may have gotten something worse?" Ricky suggested. Both of them looked at each other and shook their heads and laughed.

With the girls, Fara ran inside a specific store after squealing slightly and Mary was running after her. "Fara, what is it?" Mary asked as she finally caught up to her daughter. She was about to ask what Fara was holding in her arms when Fara showed her a Zorua plush toy.

"I just saw this and thought of Dad. It's so cute! I don't think I could find anything better than this. Can we get it, Mom? Please?" Her eyes were shining as she looked at the small black fox plush. Mary couldn't say no to Fara as they went over to the counter.

"Okay. Your dad will probably be embarrassed when he finds out you thought of him when you saw it, but I think he'll like it too." Mary said as she paid for the stuffed toy.

"This has to be better than what Dad and Ricky got. I just know it!" Fara said and they both laughed as they exited the store for the food court. They looked around until they recognized Zack and Ricky sitting at a table already tearing into some burgers. It wasn't until the girls got closer did they notice Ricky's… change.

"Zack? Why is part of Ricky's hair dyed?" Mary asked, not really mad so much as confused. Zack and Ricky stopped eating and looked at each other nervously, trying to think of an excuse. They couldn't tell the girls about it yet to make it a surprise for tonight.

"It was my choice. You'll understand why later." Ricky said. Zack held in his breath, hoping Mary would just drop the subject. His eyes widened when Mary and Fara started giggling.

"Okay, dear. I actually think it looks cute. But don't become a rebel, okay?" Mary said as she brushed some of the hair from in front of his face. Zack felt himself breathing again and Ricky felt his face heating up from Mary calling him cute and smiling from the joke. "It also reminds me of what Fara got for her choice." Now it was the guys' turn to be confused as the Braixen pulled out the plush toy from the shopping bag and showed it to them. "She said she thought of her dad when she saw it." Mary finished and giggled when she saw Zack starting to blush slightly but smiling all the same.

"I didn't know you liked stuff like that, Fara." Ricky said as he looked at the small toy.

"You don't know everything about me, Ricky." Fara answered.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Fara. But I can't say that I'm not flattered at all. And I'm pretty sure that you will love what you see tonight with Ricky." Zack said. He and Ricky looked at each other before chuckling to themselves, leaving the girls confused again. In the end, Mary and Fara gave up trying to figure out what they were planning and went to go get some food of their own.

* * *

When they got home, they decided that Fara would showcase her outfit first. She left to go change in the bathroom and the others went to the living room, allowing Ricky to get a good look at it. There was another television on a stand at one side of the room and a fire place in a second wall to the television's left. The hall that had the bedrooms and bathroom was to the right of the television and the doorway to the kitchen was on the wall opposite of the hall. The couch and the reclining chair was really comfortable, enough to sleep in. Every part of the floor except the bathroom and the kitchen was covered in carpet. For a small house, it was cozy.

Ricky noticed that beneath the flat screen TV, there was another game console and something that looked like a small camera next to it. He must have shown his confusion, because he heard Zack speak up. "If you're wondering what that is, it's a Pokebox. We figured that we could use that for a family game night every once in a while. We've already gotten some games before we adopted you, so you can take your pick."

"Alright. How about tonight after we show our outfits?" Ricky asked. Zack and Mary looked at each other in surprise before shrugging.

"Sure, sweetie. We can do it tonight." Mary said. Ricky smiled as he started flipping through the few games until one caught his eye. He was about to pick it up before Fara called out that she was ready. When she came in, Ricky was absolutely stunned. He had never seen Fara wear anything girly or any jewelry for the entire time that they knew each other. He had to admit that she looked amazing.

"So… How do I look?" Fara asked shyly. Zack grinned and gave a thumbs up in approval.

"Simply amazing, Fara." She blushed in embarrassment but smiled happily from the compliment.

"Thanks Dad. Ricky, what do you think?"

"You look great, sis." He said.

"Thanks. Your turn, bro." She said as she went over to sit next to Mary on the couch. Ricky nodded and grabbed the bag with the clothes and headed to his room. Mary decided to tell Fara about the game night and was met with a positive response.

"Alright, so what should we do about dinner? Order a pizza?" Mary suggested. Zack and Fara were fine with pizza and got a positive response from Ricky when Fara shouted it to him. After a few minutes, Zack placed an order of two pizzas and heard Ricky say that he was ready to come out. Fara and Mary looked at him for a few seconds before they started laughing. With the clothes and the tips of his hair dyed red, all he needed were the ears and tail and he would look almost exactly like a Zorua. He didn't really mind the laughing much, as this was why he had dyed his hair.

"That is just awesome, Ricky. Just great." Fara said as she and Mary started calming down.

"Alright. Alright. Enough. What do you say we get game night started?" Zack announced. "Ricky, what game did you pick?" Ricky went back over to the small pile of games, grabbed the game he saw, and showed it to Zack. "'In the Groove.' Do you like to dance?"

"A little. Singing too." Ricky answered plainly. Fara nodded. She told Mary about the times that Ricky would sing and dance to himself when he thought he was alone during their first few months together. She also told Mary about the angry reactions he had when she was found snooping.

"Well, that's two things we have in common." Zack said, grinning again. This time, Mary was the one to nod. Ricky and Fara looked at each other in confusion because neither of them knew what they were talking about. "Let me show you how it's done." He said, putting in the game and starting up the console. After using the controller for a few minutes, he was about to select a song when he told Ricky to stand next to him. Ricky did as he was told and Zack explained to him that the camera would track his movements while he had to follow the movements on the screen. "This is going to be a dance battle. Think you can get a higher score than your old man?" Zack challenged. Ricky looked to his dad and nodded, a fierce look in his eyes.

The song started, a popular song named "Steps Like Dagger," and the starting movements seemed easy enough. Mary got out her phone and started recording the dance battle while she and Fara started cheering for them, Fara for Ricky and Mary for Zack. The movements started getting harder and harder to do and Ricky started to get behind. Zack was having no trouble dancing. Ricky kicked it up a notch and started to catch up, but not quickly enough as the song soon ended with Zack being the one to come out on top with a near perfect score.

"That's… insane… How did you… get so good… at dancing?" Ricky asked between breaths. Zack chuckled as he took a sip of water that he got earlier.

"Practice. How about we watch your sister and mother compete while we rest?" Zack suggested. Ricky nodded as he sat down on the couch and Fara and Mary got up and chose their song. Ricky was cheering for Fara and Zack was recording this dance battle on Mary's phone and cheering for Mary. The song ended and Fara won by a few points. Zack heard the front door knock and walked outside to get the pizza. They decided to eat while watching Ricky and Zack separately do another 2 songs each before going back to competing.

They all went at it for another hour before deciding to stop with the game for a while. Zack had asked Ricky to grab some soda cans from the refrigerator in the garage for everyone. Mary was smiling as she watched the videos she and Zack recorded on her phone. Fara had already gone to take a shower.

"Got the sodas, dad." Called Ricky from the kitchen.

"Thanks, Ricky. Help yourself to one."

"Thanks, dad." The sound of metal cracking came from the kitchen as Ricky came in to the living room, sat down on the couch and took a sip of the soda.

"Ricky?" He looked over to Mary next to him when she called his name. "Do you like living with us so far?" Ricky thought about what he was going to say, since he had never really given it a thought at all since arriving. Did he like it here? He actually did. He felt like this was a safe place, much safer than out on the run, and that he could trust his new parents. It felt like he could actually be part of a family for once in his life. For most of his life, he had lived with a scientist, but he never hated it. He enjoyed it. But he didn't know what it was like to have a mother or father to look up to. With Zack and Mary, he actually had parents to look to.

He definitely felt like it was safer for Fara here than being alone. He had never seen Fara happier since he had met her. All he wanted with her was to simply see her happy and safe. He figured that he couldn't do that back in the wild away from everyone.

Then he thought back to his days on the run. True, he liked the thrill of the chase and scaring the crap out of trespassers, but it was nice to slow down and not have to worry much. He still felt like the Beast would never truly leave him, but it had calmed down a little when he came to this home. His home.

"I still feel weird about all of this, but I think I could get used to it. Thank you for taking me and Fara in." He said softly. Mary smiled gently and pulled him into a hug, one that he didn't refuse.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. Sorry about the long delay. A lot of stuff has been going on and stuff is still going on. First off, yeah I changed my name, to those who know me as ChristianAngel. I wanted to focus on a different kind of thing for a while and the name change was inevitable. Second, I'm finally getting into competitive gaming. This might still hinder my writing but I won't be giving up, especially since I'm also on summer break from college.**

 **To anyone who still reads my stories, thank you so much for waiting. It's you guys who keep wanting to come back for more that make me want to keep writing. Though, with this chapter, I might be out of touch with writing, so let me know in the reviews how I am doing.**

 **Now enough about me, let's get on with the story, savvy?**

* * *

Ricky woke with a start, sweat dripping down his forehead. Another nightmare, the same as the one he awoke from yesterday. He had almost forgotten about it during the fun of last night. He shivered as he thought back to those dark forests, running through them. Running from something and howling into the unknown darkness, all alone. And those voices, whispering to him and making him feel like a monster and a freak. Why was he being called a monster? And why was he having these dreams? He had no answer.

Panting, he picked himself off the floor. He looked back to the white wall and, sure enough, there were a few more scratch marks among the first marks. They looked like he made them, as they were in clusters of four straight lines like his claws, but his claws were still on the shelf, where he left them, and his hands had no paint chips on them. He sighed, knowing that he might never know how they appeared on his wall, and started getting dressed.

After coming down to the kitchen in a black and red t-shirt and black shorts, he found that there was no one in sight. There were fresh dirty dishes in the sink and a used pan left on the unresponsive stove, but there was not a soul to be found in the room. He finally caught sight of a paper note stuck to the kitchen table. It read _"Gone shopping. Be back after lunch. Mary and Fara."_ So that solved where those two were, but he still had no idea where Zack was. A sound, however, caught his ear. He turned towards the unknown sound and he discovered that it was coming from a door that led to the house's basement.

A quick trek down the short flight of stairs and the sound was becoming much more apparent. It sounded like someone was grunting repeatedly followed sharply by a smack or a thud. Ricky turned in the entrance to the only room downstairs and found Zack rhythmically striking a punching bag that hung from the roof. He called out to the zoroark, but Zack didn't seem to hear him. He came closer to Zack and tapped his fur covered shoulder… only to get an up close experience with Zack's claws.

Luckily, the zoroark stopped himself less than an inch from the boy's face. It was only now that Ricky noticed the ear buds lodged in Zack's ears, which must have been keeping him from hearing anything going on around the dark type.

"Sorry, Ricky!" Zack shouted before retracting his claws and removing his ear buds. "I was having my morning workout and couldn't hear ya!" Though Ricky came close to having his face scratched, he was almost unfazed by the action.

"No worries, Pops," he answered calmly. "What were you listening to?"

"Oh, this?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, which showed a very popular song on the lock screen.

"You listen to country music?" Ricky looked at Zack in confusion. With his attitude and the situation, he would never have expected the zoroark to listen to that genre.

"Yeah. It's good music and helps to keep me calm. I even play a little on that guitar sometimes." He pointed to a corner of the room and Ricky saw a pristine, six string acoustic guitar sitting on a stand. "I got into a little music after Mary and I moved in here and was given that as a gift from a friend."

"That sounds pretty awesome," Ricky said. Staring at the guitar for a few seconds, Ricky kept thinking and asked Zack, "Is that why you wouldn't let me buy a guitar at the mall?"

Zack grinned and tapped his nose a couple times. "Bingo. Why buy another one when I already have one? And who wants to go through all those lessons with a stranger only to play a few chords, when I can teach you all I know right here?"

Ricky looked back at Zack in surprise. "You want to teach me?"

"Yeah! I doubt you had much experience playing music while on the run so I figured it would be fun to teach you how to play myself! How does that sound?" Ricky looked at Zack, who was beaming brightly at the thought of teaching his son, and smiled warmly for the first time in a while.

"That sounds great, Pops." Zack smiled at Ricky's answer. Before Zack could thank him, a buzz in his pocket diverted his attention to his phone. He looked at the screen for a second before bringing it up to his ear. "Hello? Boris?" Zack held up a finger and continued talking on his phone.

Ricky spent a few minutes watching the dark fox try to speak to someone on the other line. Zack said that he was busy and, after holding his phone away from his ear for a loud voice to pierce the air, tried to convince the other speaker that he didn't want to leave Ricky alone. The caller must have had something urgent because as quickly as they called they hung up, leaving Zack wide eyed and mouth hung open.

"What's wrong?" Ricky asked.

"Looks like we'll be going out for a little while," Zack answered after regaining his wits.

* * *

Apparently, this 'Boris' was someone who knew Zack and wanted a favor from him. He owned a pawn shop in town and he was shorthanded for the day. This was where Zack and Ricky were headed right now. All Boris told Zack was that he needed help with rearranging some items in storage and that Zack and Ricky would both be paid. Zack wanted to refuse at first, wanting to stay at home and bond with Ricky, but he eventually gave in.

Ricky didn't mind with the sudden request. He had wanted Zack to teach him guitar, but he didn't want to be cooped up in the house all day. At least this gave Zack some time to talk about what he would be teaching Ricky first and ask about any experience he had with music. Ricky knew that he could follow a rhythm, but Zack figured it would be hard to get the timing right with the notes.

As they walked through the streets of Nimbasa, Ricky tried to get his mind off the stares of onlookers, but ultimately failed. They only got on his nerves slightly, but they kept making him think of his unexplained nightmares. And those thoughts were made worse when some pokemon and humans backed away slightly when they saw him. Zack noticed these actions as well and saw that Ricky had been fidgeting for a few minutes. The zoroark nudged him and whispered, "They're not worth getting wound up."

Ricky nodded and kept walking. Their walk finished when Zack stopped in front of a building that said "Gold Nugget Pawn Shop" on its large sign. When they walked inside, a loud voice sounded throughout the shop, coming from a large emboar striding up to the two.

"Zack! Is very good to be seeing you!" The emboar shouted in a thick accent. "How is Mary?"

"Mary's fine, Boris," Zack answered, unfazed by the loud fire type. They both grabbed each other's hands and violently shook them before letting go.

"Always with the 'fine'! I swear that I will be getting you one of these days with a 'not fine'!" Boris laughed heartily. He stopped laughing when he finally noticed Ricky at Zack's side. The boy again felt unnerved at the stare until Boris laughed again. "I see that you have finally joined with the adoption people! Is very nice to meet you, boy! Zdravstvuyte!"

Surprised with the huge hand in front of his face and the foreign language, Ricky hesitated before extending his own hand and accepting the offered handshake. "Nice to meet you too, sir."

"Hah! I like this boy!" Boris said, letting his arm fall to his side. "Strong grip. Sign of respect! Is very good quality in young peoples today!"

"Thanks?" Ricky looked at his hand in confusion. Why was a strong grip a sign of respect?

"Boris, this is my son, Ricky," Zack interjected. "He's here to help us today with what you need to do."

"Ah! Very good! I only need extra hands to rearrange inventory, for two of my workers have called in with sickness. There is no worry about the store, for I can handle it myself!" Boris again laughed to his heart's content.

"Alright, nothing I haven't done before," Zack answered. "I assume you have the list again?"

"Nyet. My son has list. He's in back storage. Tell Gregor to take break so you can take over."

"Alright. Come on, Ricky," Zack said and started walking to a door in the back of the shop. Ricky followed and took one last look at the emboar, who was flipping a sign at the front door.

"Hey, Gregor!" A teenaged pignite looked up from the computerized tablet in his hands and turned around, seeing Zack and Ricky walk up to him. "Your dad said that you can take a break. We're taking over for you."

"Ah, I see," Gregor muttered, also in an accent but not quite as thick as Boris's. "I will help father with the shop. He says he can handle it, but always falls apart without help."

"Oh, don't I know it…" Zack muttered. Gregor gave his thanks and handed Zack the tablet with the list. Before leaving, he stared at Ricky for a few moments, shrugged his shoulders and then went on his way.

Zack tapped on the tablet and found that most of the inventory had already been checked. "Well, Gregor is on point as always," he chuckled. "This shouldn't take too long. Here, help me with this."

Zack was right. It hadn't taken much time at all to finish arranging the inventory. Ricky had been the one to find the objects that Zack called out while the zoroark checked them off the list. The only thing that was out of place was some kind of dark gem that wasn't registered in the list. When Boris came back to check on the two, Ricky showed the gem to him, to which he replied that he had never seen it before now.

"Is not mine, yet since is in inventory, how about I give to you for day's work?" The large shop owner offered. "No charge."

"Thanks, sir," Ricky answered. He held the small oval gem up to the light, revealing the color to be a shade of blue that seemed to change tones in different positions in the light.

"Is no problem, Beast," Boris said with another hearty laugh. Gregor looked at his father in confusion and then back at Ricky.

"He is the Beast?" Gregor asked. Ricky looked back at the pignite and nodded slowly. "That is… awesome! I never would have guessed with how you are now!"

While the two teenagers were locked in conversation, Boris and Zack talked to each other as well until Zack felt a buzz in his pocket. He read the text from Mary and called to Ricky. "Hey, we should get going. The girls finally found a bed for Fara and they need our help to move it."

"Alright, Pops." Ricky turned to Gregor and said, "Sorry, I gotta go."

"Do you think we can hang out sometime? I have more questions to ask you." Gregor looked to his father, who laughed yet again.

"I'm sure you two will meet again. But we cannot keep them from ladies!"

Both pairs said goodbye before Zack and Ricky headed home. Zack looked at Ricky and grinned to himself that his son had not lost his smile since talking with Gregor and thought maybe he had made a friend.

* * *

That night, Ricky laid on his bed and stared at the blue gem he was given that day. Fara had already fallen asleep in her new bed on the other side of the room, tired from her excursion shopping with Mary. When they had gotten home, Ricky showed the gem to Mary and she joked and asked why he needed more dark things, which confused him and Zack as they had seen it change multiple shades of blue in the sunlight. Mary had taken another look at it and said it was pitch black to her.

As Ricky stared at the gem, it was a brilliant color of cyan and he could see it clearly even in the dark room. It was such a weird thing. He kept staring at it and felt calm. It was only when his eyelids started drooping that he placed the gem on the desk next to his bed and laid down again. Hopefully he wouldn't have the nightmares again tonight…

* * *

 **So how was my first chapter being back from hiatus? I'm sorry if it was a little hard to follow, I wanted to get it done before I conked out tonight.**

 **If you liked the chapter or have something to say about it, leave a review please! I'm going to have to go now, so I guess I'll see you in the next addition!**


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